It is an opportunity to engage with your customers through something tangible.

It’s a highly targeted and personal form of marketing that’s reportedly worth over £25 billion in sales revenue each year to the UK.

SmallBusiness.co.uk and Royal Mail have this list of points to consider when thinking about direct mail:

Refine your data

– Data is at the heart of direct mail. Lists of names and addresses form the basis of every campaign. Refining this raw data helps to target your audience more accurately. It can provide a clearer and better understanding of potential customers, and the more information you can draw on, the more precise you can be in your targeting. This kind of data can be bought to match your target audience, but you can also conduct market research in an effort to generate a database with information on demographics, behaviours, opinions and attitudes etc.

Personalise your mail

– Once you have refined your data, try to tap into the interests of your clients and make your mail personal, without being over-familiar. The most successful direct marketing often uses personalisation techniques such as addressing recipients by name and customising offers based on their preferences to increase engagement.

Design your mailshot

– Many different formats can be used, including letters, postcards, leaflets, brochures, catalogues, and samples. Use professional design that is visually appealing, easy to read, and consistent with your brand identity.

Don’t promise the world

– You can make certain promises, but don’t over-do it. Offer to provide the solution to a specific problem, guarantee quality and value if you can substantiate the claim, but try to avoid superlatives like ‘life-changing’ or ‘best ever’.

Unique selling points

– Focus on the benefits of a product, not on its technical features. Depending on your product, customers may not need to know technical information and it may put them off. Content should be engaging and relevant such that it resonates with your audience’s needs, pain points, or aspirations.

Clear Call to Action (CTA)

– It is very important that you clearly state what you want recipients to do next (e.g., visit a website, call for more information) and make it easy for them to respond. Contact details should be prominently displayed so recipients can easily reach out for more information.

Offer incentives

– If suitable for the product or service you might think about including special offers, discounts, or exclusive promotions to encourage recipients to take action. If there is a compelling reason and convenient way for the customer to respond, like a limited offer only available by mail, then you will see better response rates.

Think about timing

– Try to target you customers when they are most susceptible to marketing for your product or service. Does your product have any seasonality in its sales cycle? Does your customer usually renew their product at a particular time of year?

Measure, Test, and Iterate

– You must be able to track response rates, conversions, and ROI to evaluate the effectiveness of your direct mail campaign. Experiment with different formats, messaging, or offers through A/B testing to optimise campaign performance over time.

Integration with other channels:

– Ideally, you should combine direct mail with digital marketing efforts (e.g., email, social media) for a cohesive and integrated marketing approach.

Further information:

Royal Mail’s ‘Mailshots Online’ service allows small businesses to put together a direct mail campaign on the web.

There’s advice on how to combine a mail pack with a well-chosen mailing list, a step-by-step guide to designing your own items and an online demo that guides you through the process.

For more small business information visit: Royal Mail Business – Send marketing mail

Read also: A guide to organising a mailshot